Improvement in closing gas-retorts



G. A. McILHENNEY.

- Closing Gas-Returts. No. 142,253. Pate ted August26,l873.

UNITED STATES PATENT OEEIoE.

GEORGE A. MGILHENNEY, OF WASHINGTON, DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA IMPROVEMENT lN CLOSING GAS-RETO RTS.

Specification forming part of Letters Patent No. 142,253, dated August26, 1873; application filed July 9, 1873.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, GEORGE A. MoIL- .HENNEY, of Washington, in thecounty of Washington and District of Columbia, have invented certainImprovements in Closing Gas- Retorts, of which the following is aspecification:

My present invention relates'to improvements more especially applicableto the lid and mouth-piece for which Letters Patent were granted to meon the 8th day of April, 1873, No. 137,704. The invention consists in soshaping the mouth-piece as to give a space or clearance around the lidinside of its line of bearing, in providing the mouth with a receptaclefor tar, and in a cast-iron shoe to support and form a hinge for thecotterbar.

Figure 1 is a face view of my improved lid and mouth, the lid beingopen. Fig. 2 is a vertical central section through my lid and mouth inposition on a retort, the lid being closed; Fig. 3, a top plan view ofthe lid and mouth-piece, and Fig. 4 a perspective view of the shoe.

The lid A is made with a rounded or beveled outer edge, a, and isarranged to fit tightly within the mouth-piece B with a very narrow lineof bearing, but so as to form a gas-tight joint without the use ofluting, as in my original patent above referred to. In said patent thelid had a narrow line of bearing in themouth, but there was noappreciable space around that portion of the lid which projected inwardbeyond the bearing, and hence it often happened in practice that thecoke, tar, &c., adhering to the interior of the mouth, would prevent thelid from being forced home to its seat. In order to overcome thisdifficulty, I now reduce the diameter of the mouth at the point. (I,where the lid bears therein, so as to leave a space or clearance aroundthe edge of the lid inside of the bearing, as shown at c, Fig. 2. Or, inother words, I make the mouth with a narrow lip or flange, d, around itsinterior, to form a bearing for the lid, so that there will'be a space,e, between the lid and mouth inside of their point of contact. Whentheparts are thus constructed the tar, coke, &c., adhering to theinterior of the mouth, offer no hinderance to the insertion of the lid,as they never in practice protrude beyond the lip or bearing. It is, ofcourse, immaterial in what form or shape the lip or bearing is made,provided it gives a narrow seat for the lid, and leaves a space orclearance around the lid inside of the seat or bearing. Two of themodified forms of the lip are shown in the drawing. In order to preventtar, &c., from accumulating in the mouth, I provide it at the bottomwith a box or receptacle, D, to receive the tar. In the drawing I haveshown a circular lid applied to a ,D-retort, the back of the mouthpiecebeing shaped to fit the retort, as in my original patent. In this casethe box or receptacle is formed on the back of the mouthpiece, andextends back under the end of the retort; but when the mouth-piece is ofthe same form as the retort, the box will be made. on the bottom of themouth. The box may be made of any form and size desired, and

may be provided with any suitable outlet.

The lid and cotter-bar are hinged to the mouthpiece, so that they can beeasily and quickly manipulated. The cotter-bar is supported by acast-iron shoe or socket E, which is mounted on the hinge-pin F of thelid, between the two hinges thereof, as shown. The shoe consists simplyof a sleeve or tube, 0, to receive the hinge-pin, and a horizontalhollow arm or socket, g, to receive the end of the cotter-bar, which issecured therein by a pin, h. After driving the pin it out, thecotter-bar may be removed from the shoe and another bar inserted in amoment. The shoe forms a very cheap and strong support for the bar, andpermits it to be readily and easily operated.

The use of the shoe permits the employment of light, straight, and cheapcotterJoars, and does away with the heavy and very expensive hinged barsheretofore in use, made entirely of wrought-iron.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim is- 1. The retorthaving its mouth provided with the lip d or its equivalent, forming anarrow bearing for the lid, and leaving Eb space or clearance, 0, aroundthe same, inside of its line of bearing, as and for the purposedescribed.

2. The retort provided with a box or receptacle, D, substantially as andfor the purpose described.

3. The cast-iron shoe E, constructed and applied as shown, to receiveand hold the cotter-bar.

GEORGE A. MOILHENNEY.

Witnesses:

PHILIP T. DODGE, J. MOKENNEY.

